Following
the end of the 8th dynasty there were a number of rulers coming
from Herakleopolis Magna, in northern Middle Egypt.
This became the capital in preference to Memphis for these kings.
These rulers at no time controlled southern Upper Egypt. A
group of nomarchs from Thebes assumed titles of royalty and became
the 11th dynasty.
The
two areas had many confrontations, which eventually led to the victory
of the king Nebhepetra Mentuhotep II from Thebes over
the Herakleopolitan forces. The country was then reunited.
During
the period of disorder no major temple building was undertaken at all.
Throughout the first intermediate period ordinary tombs were larger and
the funerary items they contained were of better quality. It is thought
that the quality of life in the provinces at this time was quite favorable.
Objects began being made specifically for use in a burial whereas previously
items of daily life were buried with the deceased. Some examples
of this are the wooden figures, boats and workshop scenes. There
was also an increase in the amount of cartonnage masks (made of gypsum
and linen) used to cover the heads of the mummy. Simple slab stele
were used to mark the offering place in mastaba tombs or chapels
of rock tombs. The quality of the art decreased as a larger number
of people now produced artistic goods instead of the previously small number
of specialized artists.
During
the first intermediate period the "Coffin Texts" emerged. These
were similar to the royal
"Pyramid Texts" that were inscribed on
the coffins. The extended family unit became an important aspect
of this period. Some of these coffin texts were designed to ensure
that the deceased would be reunited with his family and servants in the
afterlife. The family unit stood as a link to higher levels of political
and social organization
There
was a considerable difference in styles of pottery that were produced in
northern and southern regions at this time. There was also a difference
in the construction of tombs. In the southern regions of Egypt,
especially in the area of Thebes "Saff" (1)tombs
were constructed. These were rock cut tombs popular with the Theban
rulers in the 11th dynasty. Some Mastaba tombs had
niche facades with corridors leading to underground chambers.
King
Intef I had a very large Saff tomb built,
known as the Saff Dawaba. The royal tombs were
situated in the main cemetery of Thebes on the west bank opposite
the town. People of all levels of society therefore surrounded him.
His successors built similar tombs in the same area until Mentuhotep
II moved his tomb site to Deir el-Bahri.
Intef
II reigned for fifty years. He was known by the title "Sa
Ra" meaning "son of Ra" therefore inferring that he was of divine
descent. He also added the "Horus" name, Wahankh, to his
birth name, Intef. It was
Intef II that captured Abydos
and for many years there were battles fought over the land between there
and Asyut.
To be continued
(1)Saff
tomb Arabic word for row, describing rock-cut tombs of the
early 11 th Dynasty that consist of a row of openings - or colonade
- in the hillside
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